1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for reversing the movement of a vehicle. The present invention was developed with particular regard to agricultural tractors provided with electro-hydraulic reversers.
2. Description of Related Art
An electro-hydraulic reverser for an agricultural tractor usually comprises a hydraulic clutch, a two-way electrical valve of forward travel, a two-way electrical valve of rearward travel, and a proportional modulation electrical valve. In the control cab of the vehicle is provided a control member which can be operated by the driver to select an operative condition of the reverser selected among: neutral, forward travel, rearward travel.
With this type of electro-hydraulic reverse, currently present on some agricultural tractors produced by the Applicant, the direction of travel can be changed by acting solely on the control member (usually positioned under the steering wheel) without using the clutch pedal. This known reversal system allows to obtain a forward-backward movement of the vehicle without using the clutch pedal and the transmission and therefore it allows to increase the speed of the reversal operation and to enhance comfort for the operator.
However, there are tasks that require a temporary stop of the vehicle before the reversal of travel. For example, when the vehicle operates with a loading shovel, before reversing the direction of travel it is necessary to stop the vehicle, e.g. to allow the shovel to load or unload material.
With traditional reversal systems, the driver is therefore forced to act on the clutch pedal in order to stop temporarily the tractor. This operation can become dangerous when the vehicle works on non level terrain. In this case, the driver must simultaneously act on the clutch pedal and on the brake pedals to stop the vehicle. This allows the operator to perform combined and more complex operations, which are certainly not comfortable and which require greater attention.